Major construction closure on Gulf Freeway this weekend

The Texas Department of Transportation will begin the demolition and reconstruction of the new at-grade intersection at Bay Area Boulevard. To complete the work, a total closure of the north and southbound mainlanes of I-45/Gulf Freeway at Bay Area Boulevard will take place the weekend of Feb. 26.

Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday Feb. 26 through 5 a.m. Monday Feb. 29, the I-45 northbound and southbound mainlanes at Bay Area Boulevard will be closed.Motorists traveling southbound will need to exit the mainlanes at El Dorado and detour to the frontage road through the Bay Area Boulevard intersection and re-enter the mainlanes before the NASA Parkway intersection.Motorists traveling northbound will need to exit the mainlanes at Bay Area Boulevard and detour to the frontage road through the Bay Area Boulevard intersection and re-enter the mainlanes after the Bay Area Boulevard intersection.

The Bay Area Boulevard overpass will also be closed and will re-open June 2016.

Motorists traveling southbound who want to access Bay Area Boulevard east will need to exit NASA Parkway and U-turn, stay on the frontage road and turn right onto Bay Area Boulevard.Motorists traveling northbound who want to access Bay Area Boulevard west will need to exit El Dorado and turn, stay on the frontage road and turn right to access Bay Area Boulevard.Motorists traveling east on Bay Area Boulevard to I-45 will detour onto the southbound frontage road to NASA Parkway, U-turn, stay on the frontage road and turn right to access Bay Area Boulevard.Motorists traveling west on Bay Area Boulevard to I-45 will turn right on the I-45 northbound frontage road and turn at El Dorado, stay on the frontage road and turn right to access Bay Area Boulevard.Officers will be on-site at specific locations to assist with traffic.

Once complete, the I-45/Gulf Freeway mainlanes will go over the Bay Area Boulevard intersection, replacing the current overpass structure and improving mobility and enhancing safety for the traveling public.The Bay Area Boulevard overpass reconstruction is part of the $93 million construction project on I-45 from FM 2351 to Medical Center Boulevard. The project will also widen the existing six mainlanes to ten and replace the Bay Area Boulevard overpass. The entire project is scheduled for completion Fall 2018.